It was always too much to hope that as prime minister, she might choose her first meeting with the new leader of the United States for a historic Love Actually moment in which she reminded the world about those views. After all, Downing Street has made very clear that pragmatism will rule when it comes to UK-US, and May-Trump, relations.

US travel ban - a brief guide

The executive order signed by Donald Trump suspends the entire US refugee admissions system, already one of the most rigorous in the world, for 120 days. It also suspends the Syrian refugee program indefinitely, and bans entry to the US to people from seven majority-Muslim countries – Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen – for 90 days. The order has prompted a series of legal challenges, while thousands of Americans have protested outside airports and courthouses in solidarity with Muslims and migrants.

This trip was not about calling things out, but about securing a love-in that might take advantage of the potential benefits to Britain of a Trump presidency – namely his promise to propel a post-Brexit UK from the back to the front of the trade queue.

That awkwardness aside, Downing Street saw the visit as a strategic coup. And yet even as the prime minister boarded a plane headed to Philadelphia there was growing hope that she might use the visit to express British disquiet about some of Trump’s first moves as president.

Theresa May feels heat over travel ban as Donald Trump stands firm

To be fair to the prime minister, it was not until after her meeting that Trump made his next, highly controversial move: to stop people from seven countries entering the US. But her decision not to condemn the decision during the second leg of the tour in Turkey quickly turned any focus on the visit from warm words on trade and strong language on Nato to mounting anger about a failure to speak out.

By then May had the choice to either line up with those such as the controversial Ukip donor Arron Banks defending Trump, or to agree with the many Conservative MPs joining the likes of Jeremy Corbyn, Sadiq Khan and Tim Farron in criticising the policy. The Tory critics included the party’s leader in Scotland, Ruth Davidson, and the former chair Sayeeda Warsi.

Mo Farah calls Trump's travel ban 'ignorant and prejudiced'

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Heidi Allen MP said: “I don’t care how special the relationship is, some lines just shouldn’t be crossed.” And her Tory colleague Sarah Wollaston demanded that Trump not be allowed to address MPs in Westminster Hall for a state visit later this year. And then there was the question of British nationals with another Tory MP, Nadhim Zahawi, facing being banned alongside Olympic star and British hero Sir Mo Farah.

Government aides spent Sunday trying to tackle the crisis. Their late night statement about disagreeing with the policy, was followed by public interventions from the chief secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke, and then foreign secretary Boris Johnson, who said it was “wrong to stigmatise because of nationality”. Quickly arranged conversations between Johnson and Amber Rudd and their US counterparts followed.

But the headache lingers for May, as other world leaders are much clearer in their condemnation of Trump, while Downing street insists that the state visit invite is not being rescinded. That is despite even Davidson questioning how it could occur.

On Monday May — perhaps via her foreign secretary — will need to field questions about what she knew and when, and if she raised any concerns in private. Labour will demand to know why Canada was able to offer reassurances on Saturday that Britain could not. And meanwhile a government petition is growing at pace.